The Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed profess the same Christian faith in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Church, the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. The Apostles’ Creed is the older, shorter baptismal creed of the Church of Rome; the Nicene Creed, written by the Councils of Nicaea (325) and Constantinople (381), is longer and spells out more precisely that Jesus Christ is true God and that the Holy Spirit is Lord and giver of life. Catholics normally say the Nicene Creed at Sunday Mass and the Apostles’ Creed at Baptism and in the Rosary. Below is a side-by-side table of the two creeds, the key differences, their full traditional texts, and when each is used.
The two creeds side by side
The table follows the traditional English wording (the current Missal’s translation differs slightly).
| Article | Apostles’ Creed | Nicene Creed |
|---|---|---|
| God the Father | I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth | I believe in one God the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible |
| God the Son | and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord | and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, and born of the Father before all ages; God of God; Light of Light; true God of true God; begotten, not made; consubstantial to the Father, by whom all things were made |
| Incarnation | who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary | who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost, of the Virgin Mary, and was made man |
| Passion | suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried | was crucified also for us, suffered under Pontius Pilate, and was buried |
| Descent | He descended into hell | (not mentioned) |
| Resurrection | the third day He arose again from the dead | and the third day he rose again, according to the scriptures |
| Ascension | He ascended into heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty | and ascended into heaven, sitteth at the right hand of the Father |
| Judgment | from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead | and shall come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead; of whose kingdom there shall be no end |
| Holy Spirit | I believe in the Holy Ghost | and in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son; who, together with the Father and the Son, is adored and glorified; who spake by the prophets |
| Church | the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints | and one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church |
| Forgiveness | the forgiveness of sins | I confess one baptism for the remission of sins |
| Last things | the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. | and I expect the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen. |
The key differences
- Origin. The Apostles’ Creed grew out of the questions asked at Baptism in Rome in the first centuries, the “Old Roman Creed”; tradition attributes its twelve articles to the twelve apostles. The Nicene Creed was formulated by the bishops gathered at Nicaea in 325 against the Arian heresy, and completed at Constantinople in 381.
- The divinity of Christ. The Nicene Creed adds “God of God; Light of Light; true God of true God; begotten, not made; consubstantial to the Father,” to rule out the Arian claim that the Son was a creature.
- The Holy Spirit. The Nicene Creed calls the Holy Spirit “the Lord and Giver of Life,” who is adored and glorified with the Father and the Son. The words “and the Son” (Filioque) were added later in the West and are not said by the Eastern Orthodox.
- Only in the Apostles’ Creed: “He descended into hell” (to the dead, not to the hell of the damned) and “the communion of saints.”
- Only in the Nicene Creed: “one holy catholic and apostolic Church,” “one baptism,” and “of whose kingdom there shall be no end.”
- Length. The Apostles’ Creed has about 110 words; the Nicene Creed about 220.
When Catholics use each creed
- At Sunday and solemnity Masses, the Nicene Creed is normally said or sung after the homily. The Roman Missal allows the Apostles’ Creed instead, especially during Lent and Easter Time.
- At Baptism, the faith is professed in the question-and-answer form of the Apostles’ Creed.
- In the Rosary, the Apostles’ Creed is said on the crucifix.
- In catechesis, the Catechism of the Catholic Church is built around the Apostles’ Creed.
The Apostles’ Creed
In the traditional English of the Baltimore Catechism (1891):
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth;
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord;
who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified;
died, and was buried.
He descended into hell;
the third day He arose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty;
from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
Amen.
See the Apostles’ Creed for the Latin and the twelve articles explained.
The Nicene Creed
In the traditional English of a nineteenth-century Catholic prayer book:
I believe in one God the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God;
and born of the Father before all ages;
God of God;
Light of Light;
true God of true God;
begotten, not made;
consubstantial to the Father, by whom all things were made.
Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost, of the Virgin Mary;
and was made man.
Was crucified also for us, suffered under Pontius Pilate, and was buried;
and the third day he rose again, according to the scriptures;
and ascended into heaven, sitteth at the right hand of the Father, and shall come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead;
of whose kingdom there shall be no end.
And in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son;
who, together with the Father and the Son, is adored and glorified;
who spake by the prophets.
And one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.
I confess one baptism for the remission of sins.
And I expect the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
See the Nicene Creed for the Latin, its history and the current wording at Mass.
Frequently asked questions
Which is older, the Apostles’ Creed or the Nicene Creed?
The Apostles’ Creed, which goes back to the baptismal creed of Rome in the second and third centuries. The Nicene Creed dates from 325 and 381.
Do Protestants use the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed?
Yes. Many Protestant churches, such as Anglicans, Lutherans and Methodists, use both. The Eastern Orthodox use the Nicene Creed without the words “and the Son.”
Why does the Apostles’ Creed say “catholic”?
“Catholic” means “universal”: the Church is for all people in all places and times.
More about the faith
- Apostles’ Creed in Latin
- Orthodox Nicene Creed
- Apostles’ Creed
- Nicene Creed
- Athanasian Creed
- St. Athanasius
- Act of Faith, Hope and Love
- Catholic prayers
Texts and sources
- Apostles’ Creed, Baltimore Catechism No. 3 (Kinkead, 1891), public domain (Project Gutenberg #14553).
- Nicene Creed, William Gahan, The Complete Manual of Catholic Piety, Ordinary of the Mass, public domain (Project Gutenberg #62988).